Leonidas Craft Lawhorn

      Leonidas Craft Lawhorn was commonly known as Craft (?). He, son of Joshua D. Lowhorn and Louisa Stockton, was born 22 February 1852 in Clinton County, Kentucky.^1,2 Leonidas Craft Lawhorn was also known as Alonzo. He was the son of Joshua D. Lowhorn and Louisa Stockton. Leonidas Craft Lawhorn was also known as Lonzo. The census of 1 June 1860 enumerated on 28 June 1860 in the Albany post office area of Clinton County, Kentucky, listed Olonzo "Sowhorn" as a 9-year-old residing with Joshua Sowhorn.³ The census of 1 June 1870 enumerated on 28 July 1870 in the Albany post office area of District 4, Clinton County, Kentucky, listed Leonidas C. "Lowhorn", a farm worker, as a 18-year-old residing with Asa Lowhorn.⁴ He married Martha J. Guthrie, daughter of Armenes Gutherie and Matilda C. (Vance) Gutherie, on 12 February 1872 in Clinton County, Kentucky..⁵
The census of 1 June 1880 enumerated on 1 June 1880 in Illwill Precinct 4, Clinton County, Kentucky, listed the following:


Leonidas Craft Lawhorn married Mittie Bulah Coleman, daughter of William Wallace Coleman and Elizabeth E. (Strange) Coleman, about 1890 in Texas..^7,8 His wife, Martha J. Lawhorn, died about 1890 in Fannin or Grayson County, Texas, presumably as her husband remarried in 1891.⁹ Leonidas Craft Lawhorn lived in Whitewright, Grayson County, Texas, on 6 February 1892.⁸      He applied twice for federal status as a Cherokee Indian.
     L.C. Lawhorn; age 43, son of Joshua, grandson of Thomas Lawhorn. Rejected. Three pages -- no information as to where they lived; list of children by initials and ages only, no sex indicated.
     Almost all of the 1896 applications were rejected, because almost all of the applicants were not even Indian. The 1896 Applications were the result of a "U.S. Congress fiasco," writing a law which said that THEY (NOT the tribes) would decide who the tribal members should be. It was overturned in the U.S. Supreme Court soon after, but meanwhile, the lawyers were going (literally!) door-to-door, soliciting applicants (and fees.) I have estimated that there were over 140,000 individuals who applied for membership in all five civilized tribes from every state in the U.S. Have found few of these who were, through LATER applications, accepted.
     L.C. Lawhorn filed from Fannin Co., TX, said that he was born 22 Feb 1852 in Clinton County, KY; the son of Joshua and Louisa Lawhorn, and the grandson of Thomas Lawhorn of Clinton Co., KY. He had lived in Fannin County for four years. Rejected.
     That would have "flunked" him right there; the Cherokees were never, never, NEVER in KY, except during their raids on the villages of their bitter enemies; the Shawnee, Wea, Miami tribes, who inhabited all of what became KY. But it does give YOU a clue as to where he and his family came from (in case you didn't know.)
     In addition, to be accepted on the Dawes roll, an applicant must have lived with the tribe IN Indian Territory at least from 1880 through the 1902 Dawes enrollment, be recognized as a citizen of that tribe, and listed on specific prior rolls⁹
The census of 1 June 1900 enumerated on 22 June 1900 in Precinct 3, Fannin County, Texas, listed the following:


His wife, Mittie Bulah Lawhorn, died on 23 August 1903 in Whitewright, Grayson County, Texas.^8,11 Mittie Bulah Lawhorn was buried in the Blanton Cemetery a few miles NE of Whitewright in Fannin County, Texas.^8,12 The census of 1 January 1920 enumerated on 19 January 1920 in Jackson Township, Little River County, Arkansas, listed L. C. "Lawhorn", as the 65-year-old widowed father of Sam Lawhorn.¹³ Leonidas Craft Lawhorn died on 4 May 1935 at the home of his son Leo G. Lawhorn in Tolbert, Wilbarger County, Texas.¹⁴ He was buried on 5 May 1935 in the Thalia Cemetery, Thalia, Foard County, Texas, on the northern side 50 yards from the gate.

My Grandmother Emma Lawhorn Skipworth told this on several occasions to family members. This was related to me by my mother Frankie Skipworth Ellis Niemeyer and Aunt Flossie Skipworth Cassano.
     Leonidas Craft Lawhorn was called "Craft". It was said that the family could get a homestead in the Indian Territory, by claim. Craft and one of the boys set out to make this claim, but never made it to the Indian Territory, as the wagon broke down. Being broke, of course, they had no money to fix the wagon to finish the trip. They had no choice but to return home and continue their life as sharecroppers. It is not at the present time clear if this was during his marriage to Martha Gutherie or Beulah Coleman⁹